ictQATAR announced the beta version of Qatar’s ICT Observatory, a central platform of ICT-related data and statistics on Qatar that is accessible to businesses, entrepreneurs, researchers, decision and policy makers, government entities, and the public. The ICT Observatory is part of a government-wide effort to ‘open up’ more data to the public to further increase government transparency and accountability.

The Observatory is a trusted source of information on Qatar’s ICT landscape, supports important policymaking and evaluation activities, reduces research and data investments among enterprises and other organizations, and promotes discussion on ICT-related topics.

Launched following the release of Qatar’s Open Data Policy, the ICT Observatory, allows users to view and analyze data from a variety of sources including specialized surveys on ICT usage and penetration of households, individuals, business, and government dating back to 2008; licensed telecom operators; international reports; and aggregated data from other government entities in Qatar, informing users about the continuous developments taking place in Qatar’s ICT landscape.

“These initiatives will help spur innovation and support researchers in Qatar and around the globe,” said Dr. Hessa Al-Jaber, Minister of Information and Communications Technology.” “These efforts are critical to advancing a knowledge-based economy in Qatar,” she added.

Qatar’s ICT Observatory has a number of functionalities that allow for useful and quick access to ICT data across various topics-including viewing indicators; generating, browsing, and downloading analytical reports and data; creating and reviewing charts and tables; refining and customizing queries; and creating customized reports for further analysis.

The Observatory uses data visualization tools to help users in exploring and analyzing the data in a friendly manner. In-memory technology enables quick dissection of the data and creation of interactive reports through Web and mobile devices. The advanced analytics and data visualization capabilities will help users to better understand Qatar’s ICT landscape.

The final portal will be released in March 2015 and the Arabic version by the end of 2015. The content of the portal will be licensed under a Creative Commons attribution to ensure fair and optimal usage.

QNREN, an independent high-speed network, will allow any educational institution (universities, colleges, schools) and research institutions within the State of Qatar to exchange data and services. It also provides international connectivity with universities and research institutions worldwide. QNREN was initiated by Qatar University, and is sponsored by ictQATAR.

The QNREN have a dedicated dark fiber backbone, provided by the Qatar National Broadband Network, is capable of 100Gbps with possibility of upgrade. QNBN will provide also the fiber connectivity to all existing and future members of the network and Qatar University will host the QNREN operation. The first entities to connect to QNREN are Qatar University and College of North Atlantic.

The BETA version of the Observatory is available at www.ictobservatory.qa